Are you a conservative or liberal Catholic? Admittedly, no one has ever outright asked me this question, but when I talk about the mission of Catholic Charities, I can see people trying to figure out which label I wear based on the types of services we offer and the passion for which I talk about why we do the work we do. Lately there is overwhelming pressure in our society to identify with one political party and act accordingly. For several years I have worn two distinct labels. Not long ago, I was called “ignorant” due to my pro-life values. Since when did the word “ignorant” get paired with believing that God creates all life with dignity from the moment of conception until the moment of death? And since when did having pro-life values equate with being uneducated? Then, as executive director for Catholic Charities of Central Texas, where we focus our work on engaging, educating and empowering families out of poverty, I was called a “zealous liberal” because of my concern for families migrating to the U.S. for a chance at a better life. In that encounter, I was told I was not the conservative Catholic people believed I was because surely safety and welcoming the stranger couldn’t coexist, right? What hurt the most is that both of these sentiments were conveyed as insults by my fellow Christians. The truth is, I proudly wear both labels of “pro-life” and “immigrant supporter” because that is what our Catholic faith calls us to be. As our faith community (not only Catholics but all people of faith) has spoken out over the current administration’s stance on immigration, I have heard so many sad stories. I have heard cheers of joy that church leaders have spoken out against Trump supporters. I have heard stories of Christians who have called their pastor who spoke in favor of immigrants to say they will no longer support the church because they believe the church is against our president. These reports and these labels placed on our people astonish me. Furthermore, it has been interesting for me to watch this in action in the Catholic Charities network over the last 14 years. We have had people cheering for us and others who stopped supporting us when Catholic Charities organizations around the U.S. entered into a lawsuit against President Obama’s administration to protect our rights as faith-based organizations and to take a stand against providing life-ending drugs in our health care plans. And again, we have people cheering for us and others who stopped supporting us on our request to President Trump to rethink his policy on separating families. At one point we have been cheered for tackling “political” issues and at another point we have been jeered for getting into “politics.” At Catholic Charities our desire isn’t politics, it is to live out our Catholic social teachings and to advocate for our faith in all aspects of our world and to help people in need. I have always been proud to be a part of the church, and to live out my faith through my service at Catholic Charities, where our mission includes “strengthening families and promoting respect for human dignity and life.” As Christian people we are called to speak for justice, and advocating for justice must stem from our faith which is rooted in the Gospel, not from a political ideology. In short, I am neither a liberal nor a conservative Catholic. I am Catholic, and I proudly stand beside my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to be his hands and feet here on earth.